‘Roberto De Zerbi’s very Marmite’ - When will Tottenham boss be under pressure? Ex-Spurs striker explains why enigmatic Italian can avoid sack threat in north London

An SOS call was sounded in De Zerbi’s direction back in late March as Spurs faced the very real prospect of being relegated out of the Premier League. His predecessors, Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, were unable to deliver consistent results and performances.

A successful course to safety was ultimately steered, before big money was invested during the summer transfer window. The man at the helm was seemingly given licence to dictate recruitment business, leading to the likes of Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali, Savio, Omar Marmoush and Mykhailo Mudryk being drafted in.

While Tottenham were considered to have reinforced well, they have stumbled out of the blocks to pick up just two points through four top-flight fixtures. They are yet to register a Premier League goal and find themselves languishing in an all too familiar 17th spot.

The odd question has been asked of De Zerbi, with the mercurial 47-year-old yet to bring the best out of an expensively-assembled squad. Time is not a commodity that Spurs can afford to waste, with it imperative that they find the right pieces to complete an intricate sporting puzzle.

Would De Zerbi’s neck be on the line if things do not improve quickly between now and the next international break in mid-November? When that question was put to Zamora, the former Spurs striker - speaking in association with BetWright Premier League betting - told GOAL: “He took over last year, which is a success. That is a success. I'm seeing it as that part, tick, done.

“Summer comes along, lots of bodies, lots of changes that he wanted to make, and he's been given that opportunity to do that as well, which is refreshing. I think it would have been a very, very different situation if Daniel Levy was there, to be honest. But he's almost been given a bit of freedom to buy the players that he's wanted, and get the players out that he doesn't want.

“I remember Roberto coming in at Brighton at the beginning and it taking five, six games - I'm taking last year out of the equation, I don't count last year. It's a different sort of issue that he had to deal with.

“I believe that Spurs will be okay with him, and they will start to flourish. But at the minute it is worrying for fans. I genuinely believe that they will turn a corner soon. And it was exactly like that at Brighton when he came - everyone was a little bit worried, he's not doing great. And then all the pieces sort of came together.

“I thought they looked okay the other day [against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup]. Not incredible, but I think I can see what he's trying to do. I still do think that they are missing a main striker, though. That's one of the key points that I think they're missing. I'm not sure what's going on with the whole Richarlison bits and pieces.

“Roberto's very Marmite, I think. I think as a player, you're either absolutely loving him, or you're absolutely hating the way that he communicates, how passionate he is. I think that can be perceived differently by certain characters.

“His passion is he wants to win and he wants to succeed, but the energy and the way that you've seen him on the touchline, how animated he is, it can be taken the wrong way, when all he actually really wants to do is succeed, and for his players to do well. And if people take it the wrong way, then they can obviously go the wrong way as well, and react to it. And he doesn't like the reaction that you see sometimes.”

De Zerbi wants everyone pulling in the same direction - and that includes a fan base that has grown increasingly frustrated and disillusioned with life at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They are crying out for something to get excited about.

That may not be too far away, but one route to major silverware has already been closed off in the Carabao Cup and there is clearly work to be done in Premier League action. A home date with Aston Villa on Saturday will carry Spurs into the first international break of 2026-27.